The Best Rice Cooker UK 2023
There is a simple answer to this question. If you are looking to make the best rice possible with the least amount of effort involved, then you are going to want to buy the a rice cooker.
A rice cooker produces perfectly cooked rice every time with little to no effort. You can simply turn it on and leave the rice cooking unattended without the worry of it over-boiling or anything worse. A lot of these rice cookers also have the ability to keep you rice warm, meaning you can keep it in the machine until the rest of you meal is ready to go.
Since buying one of the best rice cooker UK, we have never had to deal with bits of rice stuck to the bottom of the pan, watery rice that is simply inedible or mushy rice as a result of overcooking.
We love having the ability of switching the rice cooker on and walking away without worrying about the water over-boiling and staining out hob.
Despite the name, a rice cooker can do much more than just cook rice! We use ours to steam vegetables, cook lentils & make porridge! They really are versatile machines and do not get enough credit for their wide variety of uses.
If you simply use it for rice and not as a multitasker however, it is still a very convenient appliance to have in your kitchen. If you regularly cook rice, we believe a rice-cooker is a good investment for you.
We use ours regularly on a Sunday to prepare our rice for the week. We’ve found that you can also add some spices to the rice cooker to flavour your rice and in doing so, produced some pretty tasty meals!
We’ve taken a look at some of the best rice cookers and tested them extensively so you don’t have to! Find out more about what you should look out for when buying one below:
The Best Rice Cookers UK
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Product
Features
Recommended Products
- 14 Preset Functions
- 5- Litre Capacity
- Delay Timer
- 5 Litre Capacity
- 8 in 1 Cooking Options
- Non-stick bowl
- 3 Cup Rice Capacity
- Triple Heater Technology
- Different settings for different rice
- 40 x 40 cm surface area
- Toughened Glass Lid
- Strong Aluminum Body
An Indepth Look At Rice Cookers
Russell Hobbs 19750
Features
Rating
Price
Russell Hobbs 19750 Review
Russell Hobbs is known for designing and manufacturing reliable, yet affordable kitchen appliances around the world. Their rice cooker is no exception to this!
With a large 1.8 Litre capacity, you can cook up to 10 cups of rice in this stylish looking rice cooker. The removable bowl included is non-stick and offers a easy clean solution.
This rice cooker also includes an additional tray for steaming fish & vegetable, making this a multi-use appliance! Our friend Russell has also kindly included a spatula you can use to stir/serve your rice and a measuring cup to ensure you cook the exact amount of rice required.
In addition to cooking perfect rice every time, the Russell Hobbs rice cooker also offers up a function that keeps your rice warm to ensure your rice retains its heat before it’s ready to be served. This rice cooker rightly deserves its title as one of the best rice cooker uk.
CleverChef 14 in 1 Digital Multi Cooker
Features
Rating
Price
CleverChef 14 in 1 Digital Multi Cooker Review
If you are looking for a multi-functional appliance that is capable of doing a lot more than just cooking perfect rice every time, then this CleverChef 14 in 1 is 100% for you.
It is capable of steaming, stewing, making soup, roasting, rising bread, baking, cooking fish, sauteing, cooking rice & pasta and also slow cooking. Oh and it makes fluffy rice. This machine really can do it all!
Focusing on the rice cooking elements of this machine – it’s super easy to use with it’s digital display and offers a 5L capacity making it great for large families or entertaining guests.
It boasts a handy warming function and a 24 hour delay functionality to time things to perfection. This appliance is super easy to clean thanks to it’s non-stick inner pot that can either be wiped clean or placed in the dishwasher. Looking for the best rice cooker uk? This one might be the one!
Elgento E19013
Features
Rating
Price
Elgento E19013 Review
The simple yet effective Elgento Rice Cooker is the perfect solution for those living alone or wanting to cook a small amount of rice. The 1.5 litre capacity is capable of cooking a total of three cups of rice making it ideal for the scenarios listed above.
Like the other rice cookers featured on our list, the Elgento has a super useful keep warm function and included measuring cups & a serving spoon for your rice.
Much the Cleverchef rice cooker, the Elgento has a non-stick aluminium inner pot which can be easily cleaned with a simple wipe with a wet cloth.
Zojirushi Rice Cooker
Features
Rating
Price
- 3 Cup Rice Capacity
- Triple Heater Technology
- Different cooking times for different rice
Zojirushi Rice Cooker Review
Next level rice.
That is what the Zojirushi Rice Cooker produces.
Fluffy rice. Every. Single. Time.
Cooking rice is an art and this machine is the best paint brush that has ever been invented. We didn’t know rice could taste so good until we tested this machine out. It used Micro computerized Fuzzy logic technology to guarantee perfectly cooked rice on each use. The rice is delicious and fluffier than we could have ever imagined.
This bad boy machine is capable of keeping your rice fresh, hot and beautiful for an incredible 12 hours. Yes we said 12 hours!
Using this rice cooker is extremely fast and simple. All you need to do is put your rice in the removable (easy-clean!) bowl, fill it with water a couple of times to wash the rice then pour off the water to the desired cooking level. The cooking level is shown by markings on the inside of the bowl. To finish just add a dash of salt and press the start button and you are on your way to rice heaven!
The machine is capable of holding up to 5 ½ cups of rice and offers preset settings for white, sushi, sweet and brown rice. In addition to this, it also doubles up as a steamer with it’s versatile steam setting. This one is truly one of the best.
Tefal RK1568UK Cool Touch
Features
Rating
Price
Tefal RK1568UK Cool Touch Review
The final rice cooker to feature on our list is the Tefal Cool Touch Rice Cooker. This versatile machine offers a quick, easy and safe way to cook rice in the comfort of your own home.
Tefal have built their rice cooker with ease of use on mind and it features a control panel of three settings; an cooking indicator, an automatic keep warm indicator and a control switch.
This rice cooker is also super easy to clean due to it’s removable parts that also happen to be dishwasher safe!
The machine features 1.8L food capacity that will allow you to make a total of 20 portions of rice – The ideal solution for large families or for entertaining guests.
The Tefal rice cooker accurately calculates the exact cooking time by measuring the amount of water and ingredients placed into the bowl. When the cooking process is complete, the rice cooker automatically detects that the water has all been absorbed and will change the setting by itself to the keep warm function. This ensures that your rice is kept at the perfect temperature until you are ready to serve with whatever you are cooking, perhaps a delectable beef barbacoa?!
This might just be the one you are looking for!
Frequently Asked Questions About Rice Cookers
Do rice cookers keep rice warm?
You’ll be glad to know that they indeed do! Every rice cooker we have come across has some form of Keep Warm feature that will keep you rice at the perfect temperature until you are ready to serve your fluffy rice.
How to cook the right amount of rice?
Most rice cookers come with a rice measuring scoop to ensure you never have to guess how much water or rice you will need to enter into the rice cooker.
It is super simple to measure out the exact amount of rice and water you will need and simply fill the bowl with both to get things started. If you want to go next level on portion control, then pick up a rice dispenser. These guys not only store your rice in the ideal environment, but when called upon deliver the perfect amount of rice for cooking.
Can rice cookers cook risotto and other types of rice?
The budget rice cookers listed here can only cook long-grain rice and you shouldn’t try cooking more delicate rice in them. However, the mid to high end rice cookers are more than capable of handling other types of rice.
So far we have cooked white rice, risotto rice, Japanese sticky rice and Thai style rice in our rice cooker. Some of the machines actually have a preset function highlighted in the control panel at the front of the unit that you can press when cooking these more exotic types of rice.
Budget & High-end Rice Cookers - Whats the difference?
If you’ve already done a bit of research, you will find that rice cookers can vary dramatically in price. We’ve taken a look at a variety of models ranging from those which cost £20 to those that cost £270. Our conclusion as to why there is a large variation in price between some of these models is due to the way in which the rice cooker actually cooks the rice itself.
Rice cookers are made up of a removable bowl, usually made of ceramic or metal. This bowl fits inside a pot with the bottom of the pot being a heating element.
To start the cooking process, simply fill the bowl with water and rice.
Cheaper rice cookers are designed to turn off the heating element once boiling point has been reached. Other rice cookers will stop boiling once the weight of the bowl’s content has reduced below a certain point – meaning the rice has absorbed the water and the rest of the water is boiled away.
More expensive models take a much more sophisticated approach to cooking the rice. These appliances use sensors to automatically adjust the cooking time and ensure your rice is good enough to be served at a Michelin star restaurant.
How big of a rice cooker do I Need?
That all depends on how much rice you plan on making in your rice cooker! If you are living in a small apartment and cooking for yourself and perhaps your partner, then we’d recommend getting a rice cooker with a 1.8L capacity. If you are cooking for your family or often have dinner parties, then you should go for a rice cooker with a larger capacity, say 5litre.
Can you put a rice cooker in the dishwasher?
Most rice cookers have removable inner bowls that are dishwasher proof. Make sure you double check before hand.
How long does it take a rice cooker to cook?
In most cases, white rice will cook in a rice cooker in about 25 – 40 minutes. The time that rice takes to cook in a rice cooker depends on the type of rice and what rice cooker you are cooking. One thing you can be sure of is that it will be cooked perfectly every time you use the machine.
How does a rice cooker know when the rice is cooked?
A rice cooker is normally made up of 4 basic elements. A main body, a inner bowl (where the rice is poured), an electric heating element and a thermostat.
The inner bowel is filled with rice and water and then the heating element gets to work. The water is heated until it reaches its boiling point and the heating element will then maintain this temperature.
Once all the water is absorbed by the rice, the temperature of the inner bowl will be able to go higher than 100c, which then trips the thermostat and turns down the heating element. This is how rice cookers know when the rice is cooked.
Best Rice Cooker UK Buying Guide
Capacity
As we have already mentioned, it’s important to consider what you are going to be using the rice cooker for before buying one. If you are just going to be cooking a small amount of rice each time you use it, then go for a rice cooker with a smaller capacity.
If you regularly host parties or cook for a large family, then a larger rice cooker will be better suited to your needs.
Non stick
When buying a rice cooker, in fact when buying the vast majority of cooking appliances, its vital that the one you choose has a non-stick coated inner bowl. This will save you countless headaches in the dishwashing department.
Keep Warm
A great feature that most rice cookers have it a keep warm function. This will ensure that as soon as your rice is fully cooked, is stays at the perfect temperature for consumption until you are ready to dig in! It also means that second helpings are always on the cards!
Warranty
An extended warranty on any product is a great way to earn the trust of consumers and for rice cookers, it is no different. Most manufacturers of cooking appliances have a minimum 1 year warranty included upon purchase with some offering even longer.
Conclusion
So there you have it, if you are looking to serve up perfect white rice, Japanese rice, basmati rice or any other kind of rice every time, then one of the best rice cookers needs to be a priority addition to your kitchen.
Andy
Ever since I started cooking I’ve been fascinated by how different people’s techniques are and how they best utilise the ingredients around them. Even the person living next door will have their own unique way of frying an egg or cooking a salmon fillet.
This fascination led me on a journey across the globe to discover the countless practices and traditions the world of cooking has to offer. I thought you’d enjoy and find value in sharing that journey with me so I created Cooked Best!